The Pastor-Evangelist

by Roger S. Greenway

Greenway, Roger S.

Genres: Evangelism, Theology, Christian

216 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1951

Reviews

[Zack · Rating 2 out of 5]

The greatest strength of this book is a surprising - and perhaps inadvertent - emphasis on the ordinary means of grace in pastoral ministry (preaching, prayer, visitation). But there is nothing at all about sacraments in this book, and most of the chapters come across as grandiose and outdated how-to tracts. Some notably worthwhile chapters include Harry Reeder’s faithful chapter of church revitalization, (most of) the chapter on assimilation and followup, and Greenway’s concluding chapter. Reeder and Greenway give the clearest endorsements of pastoral visitation as crucial. Kennedy Smartt does initially, but then backs off of that when he highlights the value of delegation.

All told, this is an inconsistent collection of articles, most of which are quite dated and imprecise in their handling of source material (namely, Scripture, historical pastoral theology, and personal experience). I’m sure the good contained in this book can be found in more useful treatments (like Reeder’s “Embers into Flame”) elsewhere.

[Connor Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this collection of essays by different pastors on Evangelism. My top three were Harry Reeder’s chapter on church revitalization, John Miller’s prayer and evangelism and James Blane’s follow up to fellowship. It was also special to me to have sat under the preaching of Harry Reeder and Frank Barker, both contributors to this book! Every chapter in the book has something to contribute on the topic of evangelism but these three stood out as the most helpful for me. Some of the chapters are a little dated and almost all of them encourage home visitation which probably looks a little different in 2026 then it did in the late 80s but I still found principles and ideas extremely helpful even if practices have changed. Would recommend to people wanting to know more theology about evangelism but also to people that are interested in seeing what has worked at other churches!

[Brian Whited · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of articles by pastors who believe that the pastorate should be lead by men who not only fulfill the responsibilities to the members of the church, but also believe in the biblical mandate to seek after those who are outside of the church. The book was published because Greenway saw that the world needs Christ and God has chosen the church as the chief way to win sinners. He also gives examples of practical ways to involve the church in evangelism. Finally, the biggest reason for the book was to look at the biblical demands required of a pastor.

This book had some important insights and practical advice for the Western church. I enjoyed the sections when some of these godly men shared stories of God’s faithfulness and power. It is amazing when God uses a man like Harry Reeder III to go into a church that the experts say should be closed to cut losses. Then through prayer and following biblical patterns, the church begins to grow and in the case of his church, elders that had been putting on a fake facade became true believers.

Quote from the book
Unbelievers in the pew must hear this gospel loud and clear. If they do not hear it and go home accursed, it is the church and then preacher who, according to Ezekiel and Paul, have blood on their hands (Ezek. 33:1-9; Acts 20:26-27) (60)

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few of the chapters in this book were helpful and good (particularly "Hospitality Evangelism"), but most of them were basically overly detailed and rather dated how-to's.

[Will Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not all pastors have the gift of evangelism, but all pastors must do the work of an evangelist (2 Tim 4:5). Our chief responsibility as leaders of the church is to equip (model and mobilize) people for service (Eph 4:12-16). Part of our disciple-making is to make disciples that intentionally reproduce. We are to equip people to be evangelistic disciples. (It’s a travesty today that “evangelistic” has to modify “disciple.” Biblically, a disciple by being a disciple is evangelistic. Healthy disciples reproduce and evangelism is an essential part of the reproduction process).

Though dated, The Pastor-Evangelist has some helpful content. Richard Kaufmann’s “Hospitality Evangelism” was the most helpful. Many today shy away from seeing evangelism as the chief end of our relationships. They say truly loving your neighbor has no ulterior motive. So, they warn about allowing evangelism and salvation to be an end to our relationships. But Kaufmann offers a helpful corrective. He writes, “The greatest inherent problem in hospitality evangelism is seeing friendship as an end in itself. You must not be satisfied merely with making friends for yourself. Your purpose must be to help your friends become friends of Jesus” (142). While counter-cultural today, if we truly love our neighbor our greatest desire should be for their eternal salvation. It doesn’t matter how great or meaningful our friendship is. Our desire should be to introduce them into a saving friendship (relationship) with Jesus. This should be the goal of all our relationships.

Greenway’s final chapter offers a much-needed reminder of our responsibility as leaders to aggressively pursue people (194). May we both personally model and intentionally equip others to wear out the leather of our shoes and our Bibles (195). May we, Pastor-Shepherds, set the tone with a burning heart for both sound doctrine, intentional evangelism, and deep discipleship.

One problem with The Pastor-Evangelist is the unspoken solo-pastor model that undergirds this work. A conception of plurality of elders’ is missing from this book. When reading this work, one should read “pastor” through the lens of elders. A chapter on how a plurality of elders function together evangelistically would have been a great boon to this book.

The beauty of a plurality of elders is that the strengths and weaknesses of any one elder are offset by the strengths and weaknesses of others. Churches tend to reflect their leadership. If a church functions under the solo-pastor model than a church will end up reflecting the personality and character of their one pastor. But, if a church functions with a true plurality of elders, then the church will take on the concomitant of personalities and character traits of the elders. This should lead to a much more balanced and healthy church body.

It’s time for this topic to be revisited with an up-to-date volume.

[Adam McKinney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the best two chapters were Edmund Clowney's "Kingdom Evangelism" and Harry Reeder III's chapter on Church Revitalization.

Most of the other chapters were a hodgepodge that in my estimation reflected the influence of the church growth movement in the 90's.

[Eric Keel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent. A lot of practical advice for the 1990s, but still somewhat relevant today.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best essays were on hospitality and revitilization.